Follow

After Afghanistan: Learning to Walk Again

Matt Krumwiede is a sergeant in the U.S. Army. Last year, while on patrol in southern Afghanistan, he stepped on an improvised explosive device. Fifteen pounds of explosive tore into his body, destroying both his legs and badly damaging his torso and left arm. Medics on the scene and a quick Medevac flight saved his life but started him on a long, painful journey toward recovery. More than a year later, he has undergone around 40 surgeries and is now learning to walk with prosthetic legs. His end goal is to once again be a soldier in the infantry. Reuters photographer Shamil Zhumatov, who was embedded with Sgt. Krumwiede's regiment last year, happened to be present on the day he stepped on the IED and took several photos of the immediate aftermath, including the painful impact on both Sgt. Krumwiede and his uninjured comrades who remained in the field. Earlier this year, Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart started meeting up with Sgt. Krumwiede, documenting his recovery in Texas -- his support system of therapists, family, and friends, and the daily trials of recovering from such a traumatic set of injuries. This entry is part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.

Hints:View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Sgt. Matt Krumwiede of the U.S. Army takes a phone call as his hand is massaged by his mother Pam Krumwiede, after being admitted for an infection at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on November 4, 2013. On June 12, 2012, Krumwiede was on patrol in Afghanistan when he stepped on an IED, which tore away both his legs, damaged his left arm, and ripped open his abdominal cavity. The 22-year-old has since undergone around 40 surgeries and is learning to walk with prosthetic legs. He is keen to re-join the infantry as soon as his injuries allow.
#

The day before: U.S. Army soldier Sgt. Matt Krumwiede, from the 5-20 Infantry Regiment attached to 82nd Airborne Division, walks while on patrol in Zharay district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, on June 11, 2012. The next day, Krumwiede was on patrol when he stepped on an IED.
#

Krumwiede attaches his prosthetic leg before practicing walking with physical therapist Troy Hopkins at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on August 1, 2013.
#

Occupational therapist Kelley Wells works with Krumwiede, who is playing a drumming videogame during occupational therapy at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, on August 1, 2013.
#

Pam Krumwiede massages the damaged hand of her son, Matt, after he was admitted to treat an infection at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on November 4, 2013. The 22-year-old has since undergone around 40 surgeries in the year since he stepped on an IED, and is learning to walk with prosthetic legs. He is keen to re-join the infantry as soon as his injuries allow.
#

Most Recent

An alpenhorn performance in Switzerland, a portrait of Vladimir Putin made of spent ammunition from Ukraine, Prince Charles surprised by an eagle, wildfire in California, a sunset in Crimea, and much more.

Since 1992, Red Bull has been organizing Flugtag (“flying day”) events around the world, where participants build and pilot homemade flying machines off a 28-foot-high flight deck above a body of water. The aerodynamic qualities of many of the creatively built aircraft are questionable, and most do not so much fly as... plummet.